Lawsuit alleges nonprofit group schemed to take horses from owners

Equine Angels Rescue accused of fraud, defamation, illegal seizure

Equine Angels Rescue is being sued by several people who claim that what the nonprofit group called rescues of neglected horses was actually an illegal scheme to take the horses from their owners.

Some of the horses in question are still being cared for at Equine Angels Rescue in Cabot, Butler County.

The lawsuit has been moved from state to federal court. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the state attorney general's office acted because a Pennsylvania State Police trooper is named as a defendant along with two private groups.

The plaintiffs claim that the charity engaged in fraud, defamation and illegal seizures against the owners of the horses. The lawsuit also claims that the media spotlight on the cases was used as a means of fundraising.

Pamela Vivirito, who runs Equine Angels, is named as a defendant, as is a veterinarian. Vivirito has said that state police authorized all removals.

"Whenever the state gets involved, there's a lot of hard feelings, I guess, because they lose their horses, so this is retaliation. That's the only thing I can chalk it up to," Vivirito said.

Brian Arendosh, one of five people who filed the lawsuit, charged earlier this year that Vivirito "has no authorization, that I found out now, to do this. She's a charity organization and she's stealing horses from people."

The plaintiffs claim what was represented in each of their cases as a "rescue" of neglected, abused or malnourished horses was a really scheme to extort from the horse owners, as well to as embarrass and humiliate them. Vivirito denies the accusations.

The lawsuit claims that Vivirito staged what she called rescues as a way to generate media attention for fundraising. It also claims that Equine Angels Rescue misrepresented the health of the horses in the media to justify an "illegal scheme."

Vivirito responds, "We have pictures of every horse that was ever brought in here. Pictures don't lie, so I just hope that once it's put in front of a jury, and people see what a lot of these horses look like, they can speak for themselves."

Attorney Alex Lindsay represents the plaintiffs. He declined to speak on camera, but said they'll pursue their case in the court system through a jury trial.

District Attorney Richard Goldinger last week withdrew charges of animal abuse and neglect against two owners, Arendosh and Geraldine Geibel, and said the county needs a better process for investigating neglect charges.

Goldinger said he plans to form a committee that would include horse owners and Equine Angels Rescue.

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